Separable attachment-plug.



G.D.PLA TT.' SEPARABLE ATTACHMENT PLUG. I APPLICATION FILED 'JULY 25, 1913- Patented De -29,1914.

ar 'nToR/vEr.

UNITED sra rns PATENT cum-cu.

CLARENCE D. PLATT, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT. V

SEPARABLE ATTACHMENT-PLUG.

Application filed July 25, 1913.

ing conductors secured thereto.

In the device herein contemplated, the conductors are secured-to a removable-cap portion, having contact members which re- 'movably engage the contactmembers arvide for a .very

the body-part,

electrical connection for transmitting cur-' ranged in the body-part of the plug. l The body of the plug may be inserted and held in the receptacle, while the removable portion may be detached from or'attached to providing for the necessary rent to any translating device, which it is desired to connect with the line wires, are connected tothe receptacle.

The objects of the invention are to prosimple and compact device in which the cooperating contact members may be engaged and disengaged without liahility of straining the parts or fracturing the insulating members upon which said parts are mounted.

A further object is to provide for the easy assembly of the various parts, making 'up the structure, with features of inter-engagingand inter-locking members which se- I 'ciirelv hold the various elements in definite m which the contact mem ers of and predetermined position of attachment.

A still further object is to provide a plug,

the removable cap, may be inserted in'the body-part and engaged with the coiiperating contacts or maybe removed therefrom without liabil ity of the said contact members binding orcramping against the insulating body-part of the plug.

. Referringto the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in centralvertical section of the plug. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the removable cap. Fig. 3 .is a top plan view of the plug-to which the can may be secured. 5 Fig.

4 is a plan vlew of the lower portion oi the" as plug. Fig. 5- isa rmen planm ofthe which the cap contacts have ject well into the insulating body-part.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Bed. 29, 1914.

Serial No. 781,136.

upper section of the plug, which fits 'u'pon the lower section illustrated in Fig. 4. Fig.6 u

is a detailed view, showing the various parts of the plugin perspective and in relative 2 position for assembly.

Fig. 7 illustrates the clearance of the members during engagement and. disengagements of the contact members of the body-part and removable cap.

Devices of the general character to which this invention relates are notn'ew in the art. It has long been a practice to construct attachment' plugs in which there is a base adapted to be screwed into a receptacle and provided with a central stud contact and a threaded sleeve contact so arranged as to engagethe contacts of the receptacle.

The threaded sleeve contact and central stud contact are ordinarily mounted upon 'and in a body part of insulating material and are connected respectively i th contact members usually in the form of spring clips which clips are in turn adapted to be en gaged by contact members arranged upon a cap. This cap, with its contact members,

provides a convenient means forattaching conducting wires and usually the contact members are of considerable length and extend a comparatively long distance below the baseof the cap so thatthey may be inserted through perforations in the insulating body-part to engage the contact clips of said body-part. They are usually of such a form as to be clamped and held against accidental engagement when once inserted and engaged 'withthe contacts of the plug member although they may be readily disengaged therefrom.

In all such devices. complete and thorough insulation of the parts is primarily essentia and in order to secure proper insulation and at the same time sufficient holding efiect between the contact members of the body of the plug and contact members of the cap,

been of a form to pro- In such devices, so far as known, the removal of the cap and itscontacts from engagement with the cooperating contacts 0 the body-part of the plug has necessitated a direct straight pull in order to prevent injurv to the more or less frangible insulation of the body-part. Obviously, with cap contacts-of considerable length, a sidewise pull upon thecap' ineither direction causes' the against the perforations of and thus fractures the porceinsulatlng material.

contacts to bind the body-part lain or other 'It is one of scribed invention to obviate breakage, cramping and binding and provide a substantially short contact member upon the cap which will be very firmly engaged and.

heldby the body-part of the plug and yet of a form which, in conjunctionwith the form of perforations in the body-part and its contact members, will permit removal of the cap by a I as by a straight withdrawal of the cap from the body-part. There'is a great advantage in such an arrangement inasmuch as in common practice,the cap is ordinarily connected with flexible conductors-and it is a common practice to pull the cap from the plug by jerking upon the conductor. If care is used to' pull the conductors in' a straight line with reference to the axial line of the body-part, the parts may disengagewithout the cap contacts binding against the insulation of the body-part of the plug.

If, however, they are pulled at an angle, the

long contacts of the cap will necessarily bind against theapertures the plug and will either cramp and prevent of 7 depending removal of the cap or cause plug.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 denotes the body-part of the plug which breakage ofthe is composed essentially of a base section 2 J of insulating material and a cover section 3 also of insulating material. Cooperating with this sectional body-part is a cap 4 of insulating material which 'has a pair contact members 5, 6,- conveniently secured in a about a' central opening. 8 by screws 9. These contact members, as illustrated in Fig. 2, are provided with binding screws to which the line wires or. conductors; may be convenientlyv attached, said wires passlng out through the central opening 8. j

The lower portion 2 and a threaded sleeve contact 12. threaded sleeve contact 12 is of cup form the insulating section 2 and is provided with a transverse openln formed slot 15 whic projects entirelyacross the surface of the/pl g member 2. It is I at 15, to clear the contact'clip. 16 whi h central studcont ct I. It is also provided with a perforatidn. '17 1,6 a'ted substantially diametricallydpvbtlie oi the contact clip also, cut away a? 1 6 and through a contact clip 1 which is in engagement withthe threaded sleeve contact-member the objects of the herein de tilting movement as Well in the body of end of the contact depressed recess 7,

back of the contact of the body-part is 4 provided with a central stud contact 11 The 14 overlying similarly 1jsficonnected with! the.

his perforation- 17 projects 12 This threaded sleeve 12 is made in itspeculiar formto serve not only as a contact member to engage the contactmember "of the receptacle but also to form a closure ug portion 2 and its contact recentrally seated in the body-part 2 and also c engaged by the central stud contact 11. This boss 22 is in electrical connection with the contact clip 16.

- The contact ranged to receive the lowerend of thecontact clip 18 and is of substantially rectangular form opening into the side of the body portion 2. The perforation 17 is of such a form thatits inner Wall 17 registers will-the wall of the opening 19, there being a slight lip 17 at the opposite side of the perforation which will be engaged by one end 18 of the contact clip 18. The lower clip 18 is of U form and being of a springy material may be compressed down through the perforation. 17 whereupon the end 18 will moveoutward against the threaded sleeve contact '12 and form the electrical connection between the clip and the sleeve. It would withdrawal of the clip 18, yet permitting a spring action of said clip forengagement and disengagement of the cotiperating contact member 6 of the cap 4.

The body-part 3 is provided with perforations 23 24, which are beveled about their angularly formed faces to-v edgesand have ward theouter periphery of the plug member asat 25, 26. his angular formation gives the required room for the springing clips 16, 18 during the engagement and disengagement of the coop crating cap contacts 5, '6. The remaining beveled edges provide for clearance of the contact members 5 and 6' which are of a peculiar form hereinafter described.

' Each ofthe contact clips 16, 18, adjacent to their uper ends are of substantially semicircular form as illustrated at 27, 28 and torminatein angularly formed ends29, 30. As the semi circular portions are opposed to each other, the angularly disposed ends 29, 30 form a convenient guide for engaging and guiding the contact members of the cap into locking engagement with the semicircular portions 27, 28.

also prevent pocket or opening 19 is ar- The contact members 5, 6' of the cap projict a slight distance below the bottom of t e cap and terminate in substantially semicircular bends3l, 32 which are adapted to This peculiar form of, contact member, in

the contact members 5 and 6 bow plug member, provides. pr

fit closely within the bends 27, 28 of the contact clips of the base of the plug.- noted that the semi-circular bends 31, 32 of outwardly so that in disengagement of the cap and base portion,-'nothing but round surfaces can possibly come in contact with the edges of the openings through which the contact members are inserted. The contacts 5 and 6 are of comparatively stiff material with little or no spring and are tapered at their ends as at 33 so that the extereme lower end is consid erably narrowerthan the bent portion, said I bent portion being considerably wider-than the main dependent portion of the contacts.

conjunction with the hey; led openings of the a ple clearance when the cap is film-the plug. This clearance is 7 where the cap is tilted to an'extreme position with its edgeea resting against the edge of the body-part; In fact, the beveling of the ends of the contact members 5, 6 is substantially upon a curve having a radius extending from this arrangement of parts it is obvious that the contacts of the cap may be of compararemoved tively short length and -yet will be firmly held by the semi-circular contact clips which bind against the curved lower ends-of the cap' contacts while the inner sides. of said contacts are parallel with the walls of the perforation of the body-part.

'The bevels around the upper edges of the perforations are such as to-permit withdrawal of the cap contacts by a tilting movev with the threaded sleeve:

ment of the cap in. any direction due, of course, in part, tothe tapered form of the lower ends of the contacts 5, 6. the capis tilted twocontact members,

the springy contacts ofthe body part will give way and permit removal of the cap and its contacts without binding strains upon the in placing undue sulation about the perforations.

It will be observed that the deviceis capable of very ready and quick assembly.

The screw of the central stud contact 11 is inserted through the lower end. of the base- .part 2 and engages with the boss 22 of the contact clip 16 which rests; within a depressed pocket. The threaded sleeve contact 12 is then dropped over the upper end of the base-part 2. The spring contact clip 18 is then forced down through the perforation 17 into its pocket 19 whereupon the end 18 snaps'below the lip 17 and securely holds the clip in its pocket which is re-inforced by the edge 17 a of the metallic sleeve. The end 18 forms a positive electrical connection g. The upper insulatmg section 3 is then placcdover the bodypart 2 with its barrier 20 engaging the slot 15 formed in the upperface of the body-part It will be clearly illustrated in Fig.

the edge of the 'cap. VVith' Even when directly in the line of the for the reception of contact '.:said contact clips and a cap. A binding screw 21 engaging the boss 22 securely bindsboth sections of the plug together. It will be noted that there is full and ample insulation provided for all of the contact members and the. cap may be removed by tilting in any direction without liability of fracturing the insulating material of the "body-part and without liability of the contact members cramping and binding to an extent to prevent ready removal of the cap.

Obviously, the exact form and detail of the parts of the device considerable extent without departing from the spirit or intent of the invention which contemplates a compact form 'of plug having its contacts and appurtenant parts so arranged that .thi. cap contacts may be readily inserted or remove from the body-part without liability of fracturing the insulation and without a cramping or'binding of the parts. I

It will be notedthat the bevels about the erforations 23, 24. also serve as a guide when the bevel contact members ofthe cap are inserted, to engage the contact clipsof the body-part.

It is, of course, apparent that the arrangement of the contact members with the enlarged or swirled semi-circular holding faces and beveled ends may be used in conjunction with any and are not necessarily limited to the specific type of separable attachment plugs.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a separable attachment plug comprisin a body portion of insulating material formedin sections and having recesses clips, a central stud contact engaging one of said contact clips, a threaded sleeve contact' having a base clamped between the sections of the body portion and encircling one of said sections, said sleeve contact having a perforation in its base registering with a contact contact clips arranged in the recesses of the first-named section and projecting into the perforations of the coiiperating section, a central stud contact connected with one of I threaded sleeve con? tact. engaging the second of said contact might be varied to a tions and providedwith'a perforation regisv -1-5 i shapedcontact forations extending through the upper clips and a circular locking members through which the clip is inserted with its upper end projecting therethrou hand bearing against one wall of the per oration and its opposite end in spring contact with the threaded sleeve contact, and. a cap having contacts adapted to'eng'age the contact clips of the bodyart. A separablattachment plug comprising: a body-portion of insulating inaterial formed in sections, 'the l-ower section having .c'ontactrecesses,"a" threaded sleeve contact having its base-clamped between said sec-.

the contact recesses, a U- ni'einber' having one arm, nger than the other, the long arm projectg through-the perforation and the short arm resting expanded against the sleeve below the perforation-and" a contact clip. connected with-a central stud contact, permem-' ber of thebody-part toreceive said contact cap having contact iheinb'ers adaptedto engagethe contact clips of the body portion a p p i attachment .plug comprising a base of, insulating material, contact perforations extending into said base, said perforations having beveled walls at their outer,:ends

-terin'g with one to provide enlarged open1ngs,"contacts' mounted in inclb'sed recesses in the base and projecting into the enlarged openings and outwardly-bowed semicircular locking members and a cap having substantially short dependent contact members provided withcoiiperating semi-- bowed outwardly and having their. ends below the central portion of. the bow beveled to the end of the contact, whereby the cap may be separated 'fromthe base by an angular pull in any direction.

5. A separable attachment plug c'ompris-. ing a body part of insulating material formed in sections, the lower section having contact recesses connected respectively therewith, a coiiperating body .part' of insulating-material hav- 7 ing perforations with beveled walls at their -f outer ends to provide enlarged openings and a into which openings the said contactmem- 5 bers of the lower section extend, said con:

- tacts 'havingattheir outer ends outwardly bowed semicircular I rovided with cooperating outwardlybowed' semicircular locking mem- I central portion of the bow to the ends of the contacts, whereby the cap may be sepa ratedifronrthe base by an angular pull:

p with' reference to :gaged by'a' pull of the without binding upon I here and contacts mounted; therein 'and'projecting therefrom, a central stud contact and a threaded sleeve contact 4 being beveled from'the in a recess in said body part and connected With a. central stud contact, an, insulating body-part having perforations fitting oi7er said contact members, means for preventing relative rotation of the body-parts and threaded sleeve contact, a cap tact members provided with substantially semi-circular lock-ing members, the locking members being beveled at their lower ends and adapted to engage the contact members having conof thelower base section'within the perforations of the upper base section, said contact members 'of the lower base section having substantially semi-circular locking members cooperating with the contacts of the cap and provided with angularly disposed ends projecting above the semi-circularly formed lockmg members. a i

7. In combination in a separable attachment'plug having a base part, contacts, and a removable cap, contact members for said cap having enlarged and'substantially semicircular holding faces, bowed outwardly fitting similarly formed sockets of the base contacts, saidsemicircular enlargements tapered from the-central the center of the cap and,

portion of the. bow

toward theends of the Contacts, whereby the contacts 'may be enlargements providing maximum; contact and holding membersfsaid members tapered from afcentral portion of the enlargement toward the end ofthe cont ing contacts-mountedin the body part and enlargements of the cap contacts and provided' with angularly disposed endsprojecting outwardly above the semiecl'rcular holding faces. 9. In a separableattachment an insulatingbody part having recesses for conengaged and disen cap in any directionremovable ca con of the ct and co perat having substantially semi-circular holding 1 -recesses to engage the' outer sides tact clips, at threaded sleeve contact having spring engagement with the base of the a perforation through its base registering threaded sleeve below the perforation.

with one of said recesses, and adapted to re- 'ceive and lock a contact ciip Within the re- I CLARENCE PLATT' 5 cess, anda spring contact clip hgvingnne Witnesses;

end pro ect1ng through the perforation of ALICE MAmN Y,

the threaded sleeve and its opposite end in GEORGE N. SEARS. 

